For a self-determined and healthy life

For more than 30 years, we have been working in East Africa to empower young people to make their own decisions about sexuality and contraception. At the political level in Germany, the EU, East Africa and in international alliances, we are committed to strengthening sexual and reproductive health and rights, greater gender equality, global health and the fight against poverty-related and neglected diseases.

Deutsche Stiftung Weltbevölkerung (DSW) was founded in 1991 by entrepreneurs Erhard Schreiber (†) and Dirk Roßmann from Hannover, to contribute to sustainable population development. The reason for the world’s growing population soon became clear: many women and girls were having more children than they wanted. The human right to family planning therefore became the focus of our work. As young people face particular challenges when it comes to information on sexuality and contraception, they are at the centre of our work.

Our mission

We envision a world in which all young people live healthy lives and make informed decisions about their reproductive lives.

Wer wir sind

Our vision

Our vision

What we believe in, what we dream of and how we work to make it happen.

Our team

Our team

DSW’s structures and teams.

Our political work

Our political work

Political dialogue for a healthier and fairer world.

Our history

Our history

A behind-the-scenes look at 30 years of DSW.

Our projects

Our projects

How we work with our local partners.

Where we work

We work on two levels to pursue our goals: In Europe, to give our concerns a voice at a political level. And on the ground

Our advocacy work in Germany and in the EU.

DSW’s headquarters are in Hannover. In Berlin and Brussels, we work to convince political decision-makers of our goals and gain their support.

Click on the highlighted cities/countries to find out more about our offices.
Project work in East Africa

We work with people who give their all to improve living conditions. We support them with sustainable concepts and strong partnerships.

Click on the highlighted cities/countries to find out more about our offices.

What we work for

We envision a world where all young people – especially girls and young women – can live free from disease and make empowered choices through full access to sexuality education, health services and modern contraception.

Sexuality education and contraception

Educating young people about their bodies and sexuality, and giving them access to contraceptives and age-appropriate health care are core tasks for us. Voluntary family planning is a prerequisite for an empowered future.

Equal rights for all

A key aim of our educational work is bodily autonomy, especially for girls and women. But it is also important to convey to young men that any form of violence against women is not the basis for a healthy relationship. Women’s empowerment is a key to a sustainable society.

Future prospects for young people

We are committed to the full participation of young people in East Africa by strengthening their voices, promoting education and creating opportunities for political participation.

Political dialogue

We work to achieve our goals at all political and social levels, regionally, nationally and internationally. We do this through our teams in Berlin, Brussels and East Africa, but also by training young people locally to stand up for their rights and have a say in politics.